*p5 These help screens provide information on a wide range of topics, including general instructions on how to play and detailed help for each of the five games.*p4
The row of help gadgets at the bottom of the screen allow you to move about between the different screens:
*p1 MENU *p4returns you to the main menu screen.
*p1 << *p4moves to the previous screen.*e
*p1
>> *p4moves to the next screen.
*p1 HELP *p4brings up these help screens.
*p1 FINISHED *p4exits help and returns you to
the game you were playing.*p5
So for help on a specific game, select MENU and then the particular game you are interested in.*e
*p4
Help screens may also contain icons such as the one below which can be used to move directly to a specific topic.
*p5 Most controls are easy to use and intuitive. Everything is mouse controlled for maximum convenience.
*h066~~~Click~here~to~move~to~another~screen~~~
*e
*tGeneral Instructions*
Excellent Card Games *p1has been carefully designed to be as easy to use as is possible.
*p4 The next few pages provide a clear description of how to use the mouse, pick up cards etc, and also illustrate some of the more subtle features which you may not have noticed.
*p5 When playing a game, the HELP icon at the bottom of the screen provides specific help for that game.*e
*tPicking Up Cards*
*p5 Picking up a card, or a sequence of cards, in most games is simply a matter of positioning the mouse pointer over the card, and clicking on the left mouse button.*p4
If the pointer is*p1 DIRECTLY*p4 over the card, (the top card if its a sequence), the program will try to add that card to a foundation. If you want to just pick the card up, make sure you position the pointer slightly above or below it.*p1
To pick up a partial sequence, the pointer must be directly above the first card you want to pick up.*e
*tFoundations*
*p5 Most of the solitaire games have four foundations, on which all the cards have to be built to win the game.*p4
Some of the games differ, but most have a foundation for each suit, and have to be built up strictly in the order Ace,2,3 ... King in each suit.*p1
Once placed on a foundation, a card cannot be removed.*e
*tIcons*
At the bottom of the screen is an icon bar, that provides some extra game features. If you are using an NTSC display these icons are replaced by pull down menus.
*p5
*h072~~~Shuffle~~ turns card shuffling on and off, allowing you to
replay a game with exactly the same cards.
*h072~~~~Help~~~ brings up the help screens, either general
instructions (from the game selection screen),
or specific help on the current game (when
selected from within that game).*e
*tIcons*
*p5 *h073~~~Prefs~~~ brings up the Preferences screen, that allows
you to change many of the game settings and controls.
*h073~~~~Menu~~~ returns you to the main game menu at any time.
*h073~~~Again~~~ allows you to play the same game again. See SHUFFLE
if you wish to use the same cards again.
*h073~~~~Quit~~~ lets you exit the game.*e
*tPreferences*
The preferences screen allows you to alter and save many of the game settings, to enter new players, review high scores, and generally customise the way program looks and feels.
*h075~~~~~Welcome~~~~~
*h076~~~~~Scoring~~~~~
*h078~~~Customising~~~
*h080~~~~~Players~~~~~
*e
*tPreferences "Welcome"*
*p1 The welcome setting allows you to choose the way this program will start up. The default player is the one who was selected when you last saved Preferences.
*p5Auto log*p4 The default player will be welcomed.
*p5Ask for name*p4 The program will ignore the default player and ask
you to type in the player's name.
*e
*tScoring*
All the games can be scored in two different ways.
*p5 The percentage score for patience games shows how close you are to finishing. For trick taking games this rates your play. 100% is perfect - you haven't made a single mistake. In Black Maria you start with 100% and your score goes down - this is because points scored count AGAINST you. Your score at the start is perfect because you haven't scored anything yet!
*e
*tPoints Scoring*
*p1 Points scoring rates your games out of 100 in a similar way to the percentage score, but with bonuses given for completing a game, and for skillful play. The individual game instructions have more details about this, where appropriate. You start each game with a negative number of points. If you can reach a positive score by the end of the game you are doing well and can consider yourself as having "won" that game, even though you may not have reached 100%.
*p5 Cumulative points show how well you have been playing over a series of games. If your total is positive you are doing well.
*e
*tCustomising*
There are many preferences features that can be combined to customise the game to suit your own taste.
*p5 The graphical style can be changed by choosing one of three card backs, or selecting wallpaper which will form a permanent backdrop to your games.
*p1 The way that cards are picked up can be changed, from the standard "Drag & Drop" that requires you to keep the mouse button depressed whilst moving, to "Click to Drop" which requires two seperate mouse clicks, the first to pick up the cards and the second to drop them.*e
*tChanging the Screen Type*
This program uses a full height PAL screen, which may not be suitable for all systems, particularly those in North America which have NTSC displays.
*p5 To change to an NTSC screen, click on the "Sceeen" gadget so that it changes from PAL to NTSC. Then save the Preferences settings, exit the program and restart. It will now have an NTSC screen, with the icons that were along the bottom of the screen replaced with pull down menus.
*e
*tPlayers*
The right hand side of the Preferences screen has two functions. Firstly, it shows the current player's name and a brief summary of his game scores. Click on DELETE to reset the current scores to zero.
*p5 Secondly, a new player can be created, or a name can be selected from the player list. Click on PLAYERS to bring up the player list.
*p1 To enter a new player, click on the current name and a cursor should appear. Use backspace if you need to erase the existing name, then type in your new name and press ENTER. Your new player will be created, with scores all reset to zero.
*e
*tPlayers*
To select an existing player, either type in their name, just as if you were creating a new player, or double click on one of the names in the player list.
*p5 If you have quite a few players, you can use the up and down arrow gadgets to scroll the list, or DELETE to remove unncessary players.
*p1 The player list is stored on disk as part of the preferences file. If you have the auto-save feature turned off, this means that you will have to use Preferences to save your scores at the end of each session.*e
*tThe Games*
*h083~~~~~~Yukon~~~~~~
*h085~~~Black~~Maria~~
*h091~~~Frustration!~~
*h094~~~~Stonewall~~~~
*h096~~~~~Baroness~~~~
*p5 Select the game you require help with ...*e
*tYukon*
*p4*c00,50 Yukon has a similar layout to the old patience favourite, Klondike, being played with seven pillars of ascending size. The objective is to build up the foundations, to the right of the main play area, from ace to king in each suit.
*p5 Any number of face-up cards from one of the main pillars can be picked up, and these can be dropped on top of another pillar providing the two joining cards build down in sequence and alternate in colour.
*i54,10,86*e
*tYukon*
The secret to winning at Yukon is to uncover all the concealed cards as quickly as possible. A common mistake is to play off any aces, twos etc onto the foundations at the start. *p3DON'T!!!*p4 By leaving these cards where they are you have the maximum number of possible moves available. *p3So, don't make any move unless it is essential towards exposing another face down card.
*p5 Once all the face down cards are exposed, it should be a simple matter to re-arrange the cards until you have four columns descending from king to ace, and then all the cards can be played straight off onto the foundations.*e
*tBlack Maria*
Black Maria is a three player trick taking game in which the object is to AVOID capturing the Ace, King and Queen of spades, as well as any hearts.
*p5 Your cards are displayed across the bottom of the screen, with your two computer opponents at the top left and right.
*p1 Before the game starts three cards must be selected as discards which are the passed on to the player on your left. You receive three discards from the player to your right.*e
*tBlack Maria*
To play a card click on it once to select it, and a second time to actually play it.
*p5 Once the discards have been exchanged, you new cards will be displayed, and play begins. If this is your first game, it is you to lead and you can play any card.
*p4 The second and third players must play a card of the same suit as the card that was led, if they can. If you can't follow in suit, you can play any card you like.*e
*p5
A trick is won by the player who played the highest value card in the lead suit. If the trick contains any point scoring cards, the player who wins the trick scores those cards.
*p5 Queen of Spades King of Spades Ace of Spades Hearts
*p3 13 points 10 points 7 points 1 point each
*e
*p5
The player who wins a trick leads the next one.
*p4 At the end of each game, the winner is the player who has scored the least number of points. There are 43 points to be scored in each game. Remember, you score as many points winning the queen of spades as you do by capturing every single heart.
*p5 Each player starts with 17 cards. The two of clubs is discarded, so the three is the lowest club.
*e
*tBlack Maria Strategy*
Having the lead, particularly towards the end of the game, can be a serious liability. It is unusual to see many points played at the start of a game, so if you have the lead at the start it may be wise to play your high cards then, and keep your low cards till later when they will be more useful.
*p5 If you don't have any of the high spades yourself, it is always a sound move to lead a low spade in the hope that one of your opponents will be forced to play his.*e
*tChoosing Discards*
*p4 There are many possible strategies when choosing discards. Of greatest importance should be spades. If you have three or more low spades, the suit is relatively safe. If you have less than this you will want to pass on any high spades you have, and void yourself in your shortest suit. This gives you a chance to get rid of any high spades if they are passed on to you.
A void suit is always an asset. Diamonds and clubs are often played before hearts, so having one of these void (or nearly void) can be extremely useful.*e
*tFrustration!*
*c00,50 To win this simple game all you have to do is arrange the kings queens and jacks around the edges of a 4 by 4 square.
*p5 The game is played in two phases. In the first you take cards from the deck one at a time and place them onto the grid. If the card is a king, queen or jack, it MUST be placed around the outside of the grid. The acceptable positions will be highlighted with a tick.*i52,05,87*e
*p1
Once you have filled the grid with sixteen cards, the second phase of the game starts during which you must remove as many cards as you can. Cards with a face value of 10, or pairs of cards that add up to 10, can be removed. To remove a pair of cards, simply click on the first card with the left mouse button and then click on the second.
*p5 When you have removed all the cards that you can, click on the deck to turn over the top card, and begin placing cards again.
*p4 The game ends if there are no cards that can be removed once the grid is full, or if there is no empty space for a king, queen or jack.*e
*p5
Of course, Frustration! involves a certain amount of luck in order to win, but there is a definite strategy that can increase your chances of winning each game.
*p1 When you are forced to play to one of the outside squares, always choose the one that has the least probability of being filled. For example if two queens have already come out, but no kings have yet been played, there is twice the chance that a king will be the next card.
*p4 With careful play, it should be possible to win one game from every six. Frustrating, huh!
*e
*tStonewall*
Named after the American General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, the Confederate general of the American Civil War this is a pretty straightforward patience game made more awkward because many key cards are not visible at the start of the game.
*p5*c00,50 As with many patiences, the objective is to build up from Ace to King in each suit, whilst sequences can be built downwards in alternating colour, on the top card of each pillar.
*i56,36,59*e
*p4
At either side of the main pillars are two columns of eight cards. You can play these at any time, but you should use them sparingly for a better chance of winning.
*p5 Your prospects will also be improved if you postpone playing a card to a foundation until the move is essential. Try to clear all the cards from one particular pillar rather than removing one from each. Once a space opens up this can prove extremely useful.
*e
*tBaroness*
*c00,50 The object of Baroness is to remove all the cards by discarding pairs that add up to 13, that is 7 and 6, 8 and 5, 9 and 4, 10 and 3, Jack and 2 or Queen and Ace. Kings can be discarded on their own.*U60,18,35*U62,22,02
*p5The cards are dealt out a row at a time by clicking on the main deck. If there are any spaces these will be filled first.*i56,40,58
*p3 Thats all there is to it - good luck!*e
*tTower Software*
*i06,09,75*i06,40,75*c24,99*i02,16,88*p5 Tower Software produces a range of high quality games for all Amigas.
*p4 If you have enjoyed this game, we hope you'll be tempted by some of the other products in our range.
*p1 Leaf through the next few pages for a description of some of our games, or why not use the order form on the disk to send for an up to date catalogue.
*e
*tExcellent Card Games 2*
*U62,36,13*U64,44,19*U66,38,27*p4 The follow-up to Excellent Card Games contains another five stunning card games, all beautifully presented, with automatic high score saving for any number of players.
*c00,56 *p1Featuring Cribbage, the classic English card game. The computer makes a formidable opponent.
*p3 Quads and Rapide are amazingly addictive solitaire puzzle games, each with two levels of difficulty.
*p5 Sir Tommy is the first ever patience, and rounding off this compilation is Betrothal.*e
*tSerious Backgammon*
The classic board game. This game includes a wealth of features and options, including game tutorials for beginners and experts alike, a choice of graphical styles, game load and save, selection of different start positions and a full board editor. A choice of four challenging computer opponents.
*i02,34,89*c24,99*p5 "Every feature you could ever expect"
*p1 Amiga Force 10/93
*p5 "Excellent instructions and brilliant
graphics ... a definite purchase"
*p1 Amiga Mart 10/93*e
*tMancala*
*c00,50*i52,08,90 Reputedly the world's oldest game, this classic African board game is a real test of skill. Although seldom found in the West, Mancala remains incredibly popular throughout Africa and Asia, having evolved over thousands of years.
The definitive collection of solitaire card games. Two compilations each featuring a full fifteen games. Three levels of difficulty add an extra challenge to the more straightforward games, whilst allowing some of the more difficlt games to be solved without too much stress.
*p5"Brilliantly executed, with superb presentation and graphics"*m*p1Amiga Force 11/93*m
*p5"Extremely user friendly...the presentation throughout is excellent"*m*p1The One 8/93*m*e
*tPrices*
Excellent Card Games ........................... *#10.00
*p3Send a blank disk and an S.A.E. for a free sample!*m
*p5 If you have a printer, you can use the Order Form supplied on this disk to order any of our programs, a sample disk or a free catalogue.*e
*tPublic Domain Titles*
*p5 We have also produced a range of titles that are in the public domain. These should be available from your favourite P.D. library or bulletin board, or can be ordered direct from us for *#2.50 per title.
*i06,09,75*i06,40,75*c24,99*i02,16,88*p5 We're always happy to hear of any suggestions for new games, or improvements for any of our existing titles.
*p3 Thanks for playing!
*p4 Tower Software
P.O. Box 9
Gosforth
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE3 1QW
England
*e
*tThis Program Is Restricted*
*p1 Sorry, this is only a restricted version of Excellent Card Games.
*p4Every so often this annoying screen is going to pop up whilst you're playing just to remind you to buy the full version. I don't want to annoy you too much of course, and you can spend as much time as you like reading the help pages, or playing with Preferences.
*p5The full version also allows you to save all your high scores to disk, along with all your game settings configured in Preferences.
*p3
Just click on FINISHED to return to your game...*m
*e
*tImportant Information!*
Hey, why not pause for a minute and consider whether you'd like to buy the full version of this program!
*p1*c00,46*i50,20,88 Your measly *#10 buys you the complete, unrestricted game together with another sample disk crammed full of quality programs.
*p5 Help support a small software house and at the same time have a real say in which programs we'll develop next!
*e
*tThis Program Is Restricted*
Lets face it - you must like this program if you're still playing it now. I know you're going to want to do the sensible thing and shell out for the full version of *p3Excellent Card Games!
*p5When you do place your order, why not tell us which new games you would most like to see on the Amiga. We're always looking for new ideas, particularly from our existing customers. Or, if you can think of any way this program can be improved we'd like to know.
*p4
Just click on FINISHED to return to your game...*m
*e
*tImportant Information!*
Still playing huh - I guess you just can't get enough of Excellent Card Games.
*p5 I can't fault your judgement, but don't you really think you should dip your hand into your pocket and help support the poor starving orphans who created this wonderful program.
*p1 And don't forget, the full version lets you save all your high scores, for any number of different players, as well as all your custom Preferences settings. Not only that, but you'll never be troubled by irritating messages like this again!
*p3
Just click on FINISHED to return to your game...*m
